Saturday, November 14, 2015

Belle

Belle is a movie about a real woman, Dido Elizabeth Belle who was painted next to her cousin Lady Elizabeth Murray in 1799. An illegitimate daughter of a naval officer, she was bought from the West Indies to England to be brought up by her great uncle William Murray, the 1st Earl of Mansfield and his wife. Life is not easy for her, as she is the topic of much gossip due to being illegitimate and her race. When her father dies, she is left an income, while her cousin is left penniless after her fathers money is left to her brother.

Central to the story is Lord Mansfields work as the chief Justice who is involved in the case of the Zong Massacre, where the captain of a slave ship through slaves overboard, and then tried to claim insurance for lost cargo.

Anyways, it was ok. I always have a soft spot for a period drama and I thought all the actors were lovely doing a fabulous job, it just felt like somehow they were a bit too modern, and I wonder if life was quite so easy for Belle. 3/5